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November 2013
November 2013
Lanham Maryland
Inside This Issue…
“As a business owner, you
don’t have time to waste on
technical and operational
issues. That’s where we
shine! Call us and put an
end to your IT problems
finally and forever!”
- Femi Dada, Smarthost
Design Technologies
3 “Techie” Reasons You Can Be
Thankful This Season
1. Cyber Thieves Keep A-Knockin’ But They Can’t Come In. A study
presented at the International Conference on Dependable Systems
and Networks showed that small-business networks are attacked
every 39 seconds by some type of hacker or malicious software.
Thankfully, having the proper firewall and office network securi-
ty tools can prevent even the most determined cyber hacker from
getting his hands on your network.
2. Downtime Should Be A Thing Of The Past. Thanks to monitoring
and maintenance tools that are openly available, any reputable
computer company can now actually notice when things go awry
and prevent your computers from having issues. Hot fixes, patch-
es and security updates are generally items that, when maintained
on a regular basis, keep a network healthy and up and running. If,
for some reason, your network still has some kind of downtime,
cloud-based remote management tools allow your IT professional
to access your system from anywhere, getting you up and run-
ning more quickly than ever before.
3. If Disaster Strikes, You Can Be Back Up & Running In Minutes
Instead Of Days. In addition to lost data, many businesses’ opera-
tions would be completely down for days or weeks if a major dis-
aster like fire, flood or theft ever occurred. Here’s where Backup &
Disaster Recovery solutions (BDR) can help you feel very thankful
indeed. Most of today’s BDR solutions include a “virtualization”
component, which means an exact “picture” of your server and
computers is taken throughout the day and stored elsewhere. If
you ever need to get back up and running, your IT company
simply restores that image…and you’re back in business.
Want To Feel Thankful Instead Of Frustrated With Your Computers?
Call us before November 30 for a FREE Problem Prevention Network
Audit (a $297 value) that will help eliminate problems on your network
and give you peace of mind.
CALL 301-576-1122 NOW!
Reasons To Be Thankful...Page 1
IT Policies for HIPAA...Page 2
Data Backup Free Report...Page 2
Shinny New Gadget...Page 3
Solid Strategies for Success...Page 3
Texting Tips for Business...Page 4
The Lighter Side...Page 4
Technology Times Newsletter November 2013
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://smarthostdesign.com
7 IT Policies And Procedures That Companies Under
HIPAA Regulations Must Have
HIPAA and HITECH have been around for quite some time. Even so, many companies covered by the-se laws are way behind the times when it comes to actual implementation. And when you really think about it, even companies not covered by these laws should have the requisite policies and procedures in place.
1. Access Control Policy. How are users granted ac-cess to programs, client data and equipment? Also includes how administrators are notified to disable accounts when needed.
2. Workstation Use Policy. Requiring secure pass-words, monitoring logins and limiting unsuccessful logins are just a few of the basics covered. Policies also need to cover basic security best practices such as not allowing passwords to be written down or shared with others.
3. Security Awareness Training. Organizations must ensure regular training of employees regarding se-curity updates and what to be aware of. You must also keep an audit trail of your reminders and com-munications in case you’re audited.
4. Malicious Software Controls. You must have docu-mented policies for the frequency with which anti-malware and antivirus software are updated and what happens if an infection/outbreak occurs.
5. Disaster Recovery Plan. How you respond to emer-gency situations (of all shapes and sizes) must be
fully documented and tested regularly. A full Disas-ter Recovery Plan is something our company can help you with.
6. Media Disposal Policy. How do you dispose of old computer equipment and data? You must have poli-cies and procedures in place that cover exactly how all equipment is properly disposed of and logged.
7. Review And Audit Procedures. There’s much more to HIPAA compliance than the 6 items discussed here; however, be certain also that whatever you do has a firm audit trail/log that shows that everything has been executed according to plan.
These are just starting points. If you’re subject to HIPAA or just want to make sure that your company is covered by these simple best practices, contact our of-
If you are still relying on tape drives, external hard drives or USB devices to back up your
data, then it’s critical for you to get and read this informative business advisory guide.
You will learn:
1) The only way to know for SURE your data can be recovered if lost, corrupted or
deleted—yet fewer than 10% of businesses have this in place.
2) 7 critical characteristics you should absolutely demand from any off-site backup
service.
3) Where many backups fail and give you a false sense of security.
4) The number one cause of data loss that businesses don’t even think about until their data is erased. Claim Your FREE Copy Today at
http://www.smarthostdesign.com/bdrreport
Technology Times Newsletter November 2013
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://smarthostdesign.com
As a client, you can be here next Month This column here is where we feature our clients and you can be the next business feature here next month. Here is what we need. Tell us about your business, what you do, who you serve and how our services has impact you busi-ness. We would compile the info and that it. Please send you information to me at [email protected] or give me a call today at 301-576-1122 ext. 101
Get Free Phone with Our Launch of VOIP
Services
SmarthostVOIP
If you don’t already know, we
now provide Voice Over IP
(VOIP) Services. This is a ser-
vices that let you make phone call
over your already business inter-
net service and give you great
saving and benefits over the tradi-
tional phone system.
Benefit Includes:
Flexibility– Now you can be
reach anywhere and time,
work from home, take your
phone with you.
Reliability– Robust multi
Cloud datacenter to ensure
that your services is up and
running
Unlimited Calling Nation
wide calling
Fine-me follow-me
Auto attendant
And much more.
You literally hold all the power in
your fingertips. Smarthost VOIP
provides the turn key, cost effec-
tive phone system you need to
grow your business. Get yours
Free phone today
https://smarthostdesign.com/voip
Femi Meets Mike Wolf from American Pickers Last month in preparation for the beginning of the 4rd quarter, I was at Nash-
ville TN and if you have heard me say before that I participate in a larger group of
Information Technology (IT) Services Provider where we meet once a quarter to
really focus on driving our business practice forward using some to the best business
practices and marketing geniuses to serve our clients better. We call it Technology
Market Group and the Coach
is Robin Robin (the Red Hair
Lady)
This time our speaker
or guest was Mike Wolf from
the great series of reality TV
Shows “American Pickers”.
One thing I learned from
Mike’s interview was that he
really loves what he does. In
fact he became a picker at a
very young age of about
seven or eight years old.
He explained that one day he was left alone to get to school, remember back
in those days there were no school buses. Right on his way to school, he discovered
this old bicycle on the dirt road side and that was it. He was hooked. He loves bikes
and he began collecting bikes and that is how he became a picker. He also shared
that there were challenges along the way and that he was turned down so many
times after presenting his idea for a show. He said he believed so much in his idea
that he never gave up even when the industry was not ready for a show like his.
What does that mean to entrepreneurs like you and I? Well it means that chances are
that while you were a young you had a passion for something unique and most like-
ly that is what you are doing today. Most times we have ideas and we present our
ideas to people, but get turned down mostly because the audiences are not ready.
So, whether your idea is in fruition helping people, businesses or govern-
ment solve challenging problem today or maybe still in the works, I bet it’s some-
thing you love doing. For me I enjoyed taking stuff apart while I was a young boy,
now I take apart complex machines (electronics), lines of code and put them togeth-
er to solve business problem on computer, web and the internet. That is still what I
love to do today, but just like Mike, I hope that you and I can use what we do to bet-
ter the lives of others. That’s it from me for this month; I hope you have a greater
month and a record breaking 4th quarter.
Make it a great Day
Femi Dada
Technology Times Newsletter November 2013
Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Web Site: http://smarthostdesign.com
Would You Rather Text Than Talk? Essential Tips
For Business Texting
You use your iPhone or Android for everything else. Your spouse even texts you to grab
some milk at the store or to tell you they’ll be gone when you get home. It’s quick, easy
and gets the job done. Why not in business too?
If you’re going to text for business purposes, follow these 7 texting tips to keep it profes-
sional:
Consider if your message is urgent. Your text may interrupt your recipient…be sure
there’s a good reason for that interruption.
Is e-mail better? Most people prefer business communications via e-mail as it better re-
spects their time and ability to respond appropriately. Text messages are also easily
lost if sent at a bad time.
Do they only e-mail you? If yes, respond to them in the same way. If they e-mail, send an
e-mail. If they call, call them back.
DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. DON’T YOU FEEL LIKE SOMEONE IS YELLING AT YOU
WHEN THEY TYPE IN ALL CAPS? DON’T SEND E-MAILS OR TEXTS IN ALL
CAPS.
Proofread your message. Ever hear of “Auto-Correct” in text messages? Some can be
downright embarrassing. If you’re taking the time to write the message, take the extra
seconds to proofread.
No abbreviations! Your recipient shouldn’t have to decipher your text message with a
decoder ring. Be as clear as you can with proper grammar and pronunciation. No
sense in risking losing a customer who gets fed up with your messages.
Include your name in the message. Not everyone knows who you are simply by your
cellphone number. Assume that the person doesn’t know who the message is coming
from.
If you do text in a business environment, especially with a customer or prospect, follow
these 7 tips to ensure that you are perceived as the true business professional that you are!
Who Else Wants To Win A $25 Gift Card? The Grand Prize Winner of last month’s Trivia Challenge Quiz is Jack Thomson
Lanham MD. He is the first person to correctly answer my quiz question from last
month and post it on Facebook: Which of these American historical events took
place during the month of September?
The correct answer was d) All of the above.
Now, here’s this month’s trivia question.
The winner will receive a gift card to Subway—Eat Fresh Restaurant.
Barbara Millicent Roberts is the real, full name for: a) Barbara Walters
b) Barbara Mandrell c) Barbie (the doll) d) Barbara Bush
E-mail Us Right Now With Your Answer! [email protected]
The Lighter Side:
Random Aviation Facts
A Boeing 737 weighing 150,000 pounds (68,000 kilograms) must
deflect about 88,000 pounds
(40,000 kg) of air — over a million
cubic feet (31,500 cubic meters)
down by 55 feet (16.75 meters)
each second while in flight.
A commercial aircraft door will not open in flight because it is actually
bigger than the window frame it-
self, and the door opens inward
toward the cabin. To open, it must
be opened inward, rotated and
then slipped sideways out of the
frame. Even if the door could
somehow be opened, it would be
like lifting a 2,200-pound (1,000-
kilogram) weight.
Most planes flying internationally have their home country’s flag
painted on or around their tails.
Generally, the flag is facing the
proper way round on the left (port)
side of the aircraft and backward
on the right (starboard) side. Why?
Because that’s how it would look if
a real flag were hoisted on a pole
above the airplane during the
flight.
Airline doors and windows are of-ten inset a few millimeters from the
fuselage so that they’ll expand to
be flush with the fuselage during
flight.
The windows in an airport control tower must be tilted out at exactly
15 degrees from the vertical to
minimize reflections from both in-
side and outside the control tower.